Open Enrollment Period – Guidelines for Your Best Health Insurance Plan

Have you experienced unexpected surprises with your health insurance recently? For instance, you have discovered that your regular physician is not anymore part of your deductibles or your network. If so, the option of open enrollment is the best way to make a change every year. Although you’re in favor of your coverage last year, it is still recommended that you shop around because better benefits may come by switching your plans.

There are things Floridians say every day about being daunted by the task of choosing their health insurance. DMG Insurance and Financial Services is here to offer consumers with efficient ways to find a way for the open enrollment. It is suggested that you go after these simple tips to get the best experience:

1. Verify with your doctor. Before making the final decision for your health plan, don’t simply rely on the online directory provider which is kept by your insurance provider. If the specialist or doctor you favor with is included on the plan, check with your doctor by calling him up or visiting his clinic. The doctor may only join in some options but not on all plans offered by the insurer. Furthermore, online directories aren’t updated immediately or the doctor may have already left the network months or years ago. To be safe, always make a quick verification with your doctor.

2. Never miss the deadline or don’t make your last-minute decision. It’s vital to select your health plan which deserves considerable time. Put a mark on your calendar starting today for any available open enrollment period. It’s always best to start as early as possible and don’t wait till the last day before making your plan selection.

3. Do not shop around for premiums only. If you take things seriously, the offered lowest price coverage isn’t necessarily the most affordable plan to have. Co-payments and deductibles can be added to the bottom line of the cost of your health insurance. Think about the number of prescriptions, the frequency of visits and the planned procedures your family can have, and then consider how these things can affect your cost evaluation. If you choose to shop online, find a website that provides support tools to help you do these things. After that, you will be surprised with the great results.

4. Have another look at the spousal coverage. Most employers create updates about the spouse benefits by including spousal surcharges or leaving out spouse’s coverage in general—if they have access to employer-based insurance. If both partners have access to the employer-based coverage, it’s essential to learn both of them in order to choose the right option that suits the needs of the family.

5. Consider Health Saving Account. By having Health Savings Account HSA, you’re allowing to save pre-tax dollars for a significant investment and savings. It can be used for both short and long-term medical costs not covered by your health insurance plan. HSA will help you deal with co-payments and deductibles and HSA is worth checking out for this.

6. Shop on a private exchange. From different sources, you can always find qualified health plans with all-inclusive benefits. And if you are not qualified for the subsidized insurance via public program, it’s always an option to shop on a private exchange. There are some reasons why private exchange should be considered: wider networks, decision-making tools and better plan options.

7. Re-examine the automatic renewal policy. It would be a major mistake if you don’t do it. Bear in mind that great competitive plans when shopping for your latest plan may no longer be the best choice when the open enrollment period comes. You may consider other insurance companies and other plan options for this. In Florida, many companies increase their rates and, on the other hand, others lower their rates. It is not advisable to renew the existing coverage automatically. While it seems much easier to do, it really pays more to just shop around.